Attachment for reproducing facsimile signatures



Feb. 12,1926. f 7 1,571

1 E; GILBERT 7 I ATTACHMENT FOR REPRODUOING FACSIMILE S'IGNATUMS,

Filed Jan. 31 1924 VENTOR.

- ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 2, 192.5.

UNITED STATES CHARLES E. GILBERT, 015 FORT WAYNEINDIANA.

ATTACHMENT FOB REPRODUCING FACSIMILE SIGNATURES.

Application filed January 31, 1924. Serial No. 689,599.

To alt whom it may GOHCGWZJ Be it known that I, Crmnnns E. GILBERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fort lVayne, in the county of Allen and State of Indiana, have invented new and uscfnl Improvements in Attachments for Beproducing Facsimile Signatures, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to attachments for printing machines by which a facsimile signature may be atlined to the article printed, and it is especially designed for the machine commonly known as the multigraph wherein a letter, for example, is duplicated in quantities and to each of which a facsimile signature of the writer is afiixed by the attachment.

I-Ieretofore, attachments for the above purpose have been devised by which a facsimile signature has been ailixed to the printed mat ter. In one such the signature is formed on a metal plate or electrotype, said electrotype being secured by clamps screwed to a revolving cylinder mounted on an eccentric mechanism, between which cylinder and a roller each sheet is fed from the printing machine. In another, the signature has been formed of rubber, the same being cemented to a metal.

plate from which it easily becomes detached. Furthermore, due to the varying thickness of such rubber plates, the imprint thereof can not be regulated because the eccentric mechanism upon which the cylinder is mounted is not adjustable, as made by the manufacturer. I

The purpose of my invention is ;First, to provide an efficient method of attaching or mounting a rubber stamp upon a metal base; second, to attach said mounted stamp to the revolving cylinder of a printing mech anism in a positive manner and at the same time provide for ease in attaching and removing same from said cylinder.

To coi'upensate for the inequalities in the thickness of the signature carrying material, an adjustable drag link or tie rod has been provided, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a signature printing device embodying the invention; Fig. 2, a sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a plan view of the signature stamp mounted on its support and Fig. 4, an end view of the same.

In th drawings, the printing mechanism per se forms no part of my invention and the details of the same are omitted as far as possible. Briefly, the mechanism comprises a frame 1 in the upright end walls 2, 3 of which is mounted a revoluble shaft- 4, adapted to be driven in any suitable manner. Gears 5 and 5 fixed at opposite ends of the shaft mesh with the pinions 6 that are fixed on a shaft 7. Rollers 8, 9 and 10 are mounted on the shaft 7, the rollers 8 and 9 being engaged by the wheels 11 secured to the shaft 4 and form the paper feeders for the mechanism. The roller 10 is arranged beneath the signature stamp carrying cylinder 12 that is eccentrically mounted on the shaft 4 by the coupling 13 and eccentric strap 14. Above the cylinder 12 is mounted an inking roller 15 with which the signature stamp contacts at each revolution of the cylinder. r

A rigid, stationary guard 16 is suspended in front of the cylinder 12 by a rod or bar 17 which is attached to the frame 1 in suitable manner to guide the paper into the space between the rollers 8, 9, 10 and the wheels 11 and cylinder 12, and to prevent said sheet coming in contact with the inked signature carried by said cylinder. Said stationary shield is designed to replace the oscillating shield with which the device is originally equipped, permitting various thicknesses of rubber signatures to be used and at the same time permitting an increase of speed without damage to the mechanism.

At the top of the strap 14 is secured one end of a connecting rod 18, the opposite or rear end of which rod isprojected through a clevis 19 that is pivoted on the upper end of a lever 20. The lever is pivoted at 21 toa housing 22 that is secured to the frame 1, and the lower end of the lever is pivotally connected to a rod 23 that supports the compression springs 24 and 2n, the springs absorbing the shock occurring at the opposite ends of the movement of thelever 20. The rear end of the rod 18 is threaded to receive the adjusting nuts 25, by which the distance between the upper end of the lever 20 and the upper end of the strap 14 may be regulated to control the downward body movement of the cylinder 12 toward the roller 10.

A roller 26 is mounted on the upper arm of the lever 20 and is adapted to be engaged by the eccentric 2? mounted on a gear 28 that is meshed with the gear 5. The eccentric 27 is designed. to cause the. lever to rock out- Eli wardly or away from the cylinder at the proper time to cause the strap 14 to lower the cylinder toward the roller so that the signature stamp carried by the cylinder will contact with each sheet at the proper or selected point thereon as the sheets pass through the mechanism in succession. It is apparent that by shortening the effective length of the rod 18 by adjusting the nuts 25 the greater will be the movement of the drag link or strap l t with a resultant greater movment of the cylinder toward the roller 10, the contrary being the result when the effective length of the rod 18 is. increased. It is therefore possible to secure a refined adjustment of the body movement of the cylinder to accommodate the thickness of any signature stamp and thereby secure a clear and distinct imprint of the signature.

The signature is formed in any suitable manner on the rubber plate 30. The supporting base 31 is punched along its opposite sides to form parallel rows of upstanding flanges 32. The rubber plate is then glued or cemented to the side of the base 31 between the rows of flanges 32 and the flanges are then bent over onto the rubber plate to firmly secure it to the base 31, af ter which base 31 is curved transversely witha radius equal to that of the periphery of the cylinder. The rubber plate 30 is thereby rigid on its supporting plate and will not work loose in use.

The opposite ends of the metal base 31 preferably project beyond the rubber plate, the proper projecting end. being engaged under the expanded edge of a collar 36 on one end of the cylinder and the opposite end of the plate is engaged by the e2:- panded edge of collar 37, both collars being slidable on the cylinder to permit longitudinal adjustment and having a relatively close frictional grip on said cylinder. The collars hold the mounting firmly in a fixed position on the cylinder.

Suitable abutments 35 are attached to the periphery of the cylinder at the proper point against which one edge of the plate 31 is placed when the same isYbeing installed on the cylinder. These abutments are arranged atl theproper point so that the signature will in its rotation about the axis of the shaft 4: approximate the lowestpoint of its travel by the time the cylinder has been caused to descend to its lowest point and thereby insure the imprinting of the signature at the proper pointon each sheet of material as it passes through the mechanism.

It will now be seen that I have not only secured a rigid rubber printing and imprinting member, but in addition thereto rigidly and quickly attach it to the rotating cylinder of the printing. mechanism in an exceedingly simple manner and adjust-its rotating support minutely so that the result of the combined features is a clear and distinct replica of a facsimile signature not heretofore attained.

That I claim is:

1. In a printing mechanism a. revolubly mounted member, a facsimile signature carrier, means on the member for clamping the carrier thereto, a second revoluby mounted member parallel to the said first named member and adjustable means having connection with one of said members for causing relative body movement of said members.

2. In a printing mechanism a revolubly mounted cylinder, a roller parallel to the cylinder and normally spaced therefrom, a plate, a rubber fac-simile member rigidly secured to the plate, slidable means on the cylinder adapted to clamp the plate to the cylinder, and adjustable means having connection with the cylinder for causing the cylinder to move bodily toward the roller.

3. The combination with the revolubly mounted cylinder of a. printing mechanism of a plate having a curvature transversely corresponding to that of the cylinder, a rubber facsimile signature carrying member, clips. on the plate for rigidly securing the member to the plate, and means on the cylinder for clamping the plate to the cylinder.

4:. In a printing mechanism a frame, a cylinder revolubly mounted on the frame, a roller revolubly mounted on the frame parallel to'the cylinder and spaced therefrom, means having connection to the cylinder for adjustably moving the cylinder bodily toward the roller, a rubber fac-simile signature member, slidable means on the cylinder for securing the member to the cylinder, a guard supported by the frame and adapted to support and guide material to be imprinted with the signature into the space between the cylinder and roller.

5. An attachment for a printing mechanism having a revolubly mounted cylinder,

consisting of a plate having a curvature substantially corresponding to that of the cylinder and adapted to be secured on the cylinder, a series of clips formed on the plate and a pliable imprinting member on the plate and engaged at its opposite sides by the clips to lock the said member to the plate.

6. The combination with the revolubly mounted. cylinder of a printing mechanism of a platehaving a curvature transversely corresponding to that of'the cylinder, :1 rubber facsimile signature carryii'ig member, clips on the plate for rigidly securing the member to the plate, and a slidable collar on the cylinder for frictionally clamping the plate to the cylinder.

In wltness. whereof I have hereunto subscrlbed my name this 28th day of January,

CHARLES E. GILBERT;

lilti- 

